New York City, sadly, has officials, school administrators, and employers that think they know better than everyone else. They do not keep up with hazard information or safety standards. I say this with a broken heart and multiple sources of personal experience to back up my opinion.
I have planned over 80 buildings in 40 years, but only am on my second project in New York. Some of the worst conditions for artists I've ever seen are in schools here in NYC. Teachers of art and theater rarely are given hazcom or lab standard training. I'm not a familiar with the science departments, but I'd bet it's almost the same.
State and city schools come under Public Employees OSHA (PESH) and private ones like this Catholic school come under the federal OSHA. But it doesn't matter since neither usually do their training. PESH is especially disturbing to me, because those are union workers that are not getting their training. The training that unions all over this country fought hard for are ignored by the teachers union officials. They are putting their members at risk.
Every year, some art or theater faculty member will decide to bring me in because they've heard about me. When I come to their school or university to talk to faculty or graduate school level students, my audience rarely have even heard of the laws or the basic information about chemical use, labeling, or safety.
The reason I know it doesn't have to be this way is that the NYC theatrical unions do a FAR better job. Mandated training is now working up the food chain in IATSE from the apprentices and new members to the old timers (who often are part of the problem). The national IATSE has developed PowerPoints (with my help) on hazcom, chemicals safety, and PPE. More are being developed. And they are set up so that we can train union people to do this training all over the country.
Anyone out there with another view on NYC, I'd love to talk to you. I need cheering up.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
-----Original Message-----
From: Patricia Redden <predden**At_Symbol_Here**SAINTPETERS.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Sent: Wed, Nov 22, 2017 5:48 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 'Large fireball' injures students in chemistry experiment gone wrong
The principal said on the news report on TV that the teacher was using only alcohol and a metal. Do we want to guess what the experiment was?
Pat Redden
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For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional secretary at 